Just A Little Emotion
by Amber Treelights
Summary: Set after episode "Bound For Trouble." Upon realizing that Pikachu isn't at all the way he once viewed, Meowth begins showing some very mixed yet eerily familiar emotions; and unfortunately for him, dealing with them turns out to be the hardest part.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning:** This story contains a female Pikachu (yeah, bite me), and KrazyShipping. I do not follow the ways of the Diamond&Pearl series. Dawn's Buneary is a lesbian. If this stuff is just too much for you, I suggest you go ahead and make use of the little back arrow at the upper-left-hand corner of your screen, OR, adjust. Thank you, and have a nice, flame-free day. (;

Flames are ignored; feedback is appreciated.  
I see those hits!! X3

And now, I present....

**"Just A Little Emotion"**

* * *

Wrong. It was the only thing that'd been swirling around in his mind for a while now. He'd been all wrong. So wrong it was nearly blasting off his mind along with himself, and his two crazy Rocket teammates. Or…maybe he was really the crazy one. It'd just been a one time thing. One time things didn't really mean much, did they? But this one time thing seemed to be dominating all of the little Meowth's thoughts now, day in and day out. Often times, he found himself wondering silly things, and even silently asking himself even sillier questions. What would it have been like? What would happen if a change of course were to come around? They got sillier every time around. But it was all he could do.

After such an incident, how could he bring himself to let it all go and think about other things? It wasn't simply a piece of learned information; it'd been an epiphany. All the thoughts he'd ever had, all the plans he'd been concocting over the years… they were gone now. Everything was different. Everything would be different from now on.

At first, he'd thought it'd be easy. Just forget it. Move on. Lots of weird shit happened in weird situations. It didn't mean anything. It was life. And life was just weird. Right? Well, unless you're one of those unlucky ones who come to find that everything you've believed is a lie. Forget it. Move on. It isn't that simple anymore.

Sometimes he would have flashbacks of the short span of time they'd shared together. The giant Pidgeot, the trees, the Rhydon, the apple… He could sit outside at night and remember the exact moment his newfound realization had occurred. All those time she'd hurt him, but not out of hatred, no. It was from the loyalty she had to that twerpy kid, the so-called trainer Ash Ketchum. And it was that loyalty that kept the Meowth quiet, kept all his thoughts and questions buried alive inside of him. He knew that. But what he didn't know was why.

He no longer enjoyed going on those silly little missions with his team to capture her. It didn't feel right, especially after the second meeting he'd had with the electric mouse. The second meeting had happened only a few weeks after the giant Pidgeot incident; it'd been an accident, just like the first. A random encounter. The two had crossed paths, but instead of the usual tension between them, there'd been none. Meowth had expected it to be back to normal. Why wouldn't it be, he'd thought. But the mouse no longer had the urge to send bolts of electricity in his direction. Things had changed. They both knew they fought on opposite sides, but it was all business now. If Ash didn't give the command, she didn't shock. And this new stance was just one of those things riddled with confusion for the poor Meowth. It was the way things were now, though. They were enemies in battle, neutral elsewhere. It was strange. He didn't know whether he liked it or not.

Of course his own newfound stance was quite obvious to his team. Jessie and James knew him; they knew when he was scared, agitated, lonely. Those were just a few of the things they could usually tell. Once you get to know and love someone as much as they did him, different moods and emotions are hard to miss. Never before had they seen their little friend act this way towards chasing after Ash's team, though. He'd lost interest, motive, he was completely apathetic. The two Rockets could remember a time when Meowth was always the first one awake, dragging them out of dreams and into the next mission. He was determined, energetic, alive. Plans and attacks always gave him just the boost he needed to reach happiness. He didn't really seem sad now, though. Just…different.

"Honestly, that stupid cat makes me worry more every day," the red-haired woman began. "Imagine! Someone like me, _worried _about a cat."

James glanced back to her. "Well, he is part of our team; we're supposed to worry. Besides, if we don't, who will?"

He was right, Jessie knew. She sighed silently as she shifted her gaze back to the door of the room Meowth was in. The team had been lucky to find this little cabin so close to where Ash and the others were staying. Whether someone lived in the cabin or not, they didn't know. Not that it really mattered to them. The house was empty, the door was unlocked, it'd practically been a welcome mat specifically for Team Rocket.

"James…," Jessie spoke up again. The man gave her his attention. "We've never seen him act like this before. We've seen him upset, but not…well, you know."

James shifted a bit more, facing her as he crossed his arms. "What are you getting at?"

The woman looked down at the floor, hoping her theory was wrong, but what other theories were there? The cat never fully enjoyed anything they did anymore. He would smile, speak, attempt to hide it, but anyone could see how far off his mind was all the time nowadays. It wasn't really like anything they'd seen before. And they couldn't figure it out, no matter how hard they tried. Whether the theory was as bad as it seemed… it was the only thing left. Jessie closed her eyes before looking up again, opening them to meet James' stare.

"I think he's depressed."

The words got a confused expression from the man listening.

"Depressed?" he repeated her, looking away in thoughts as he scratched his head. "But Jessie…he doesn't seem very sad."

The woman gave him a look, her overly dramatic nature already kicking in; she was obviously a bit annoyed now. She didn't like people doubting her theories, especially a fellow teammate.

"You don't have to be sad to be depressed!" she hissed matter-of-factly.

James jumped back a little. "But I thought you did!"

Quieting herself, Jessie shook her head. "No. Depression can be characterized by other things, too. It's not always sadness."

Given that, the cat might actually be depressed, James thought. But what did he have to be depressed about? It still didn't make much sense.

Jessie continued, answering the questions before even knowing them. "There could be something bothering him. Maybe he's been feeling left out. Or maybe he…doesn't like being with us anymore."

The last theory pulled a shock from the purple-haired man. "Doesn't like being with us!? Jessie, how could you think that!?"

The woman growled, tired of being the only one thinking. "Well, when _you _come up with a better idea, feel free to let me in on it!!"

She was right, James knew. There were only so many explanations they could think of. Maybe Meowth really was tired of them… Just the thought was crushing both of the Rocket members' hearts. Meowth had always been with them. What would ever make him not want to stay? But then again… there was always the chance he did want to stay, and there was something else bothering him altogether. James blinked, suddenly an idea coming to him.

He looked to Jessie again. "Maybe we should talk to him."

The woman's eyes widened a bit before she smiled cheerfully, almost as if he'd won a secret prize she'd had stashed away. "What a brilliant idea, James!" She gave him a push towards the room Meowth was in. "Now you go on in there and find out what's wrong with our little Meowth!"

"Me!!??" James tried to turn around again, but Jessie's pushing was just a little too overpowering. "But I meant both of us!!"

Stopping him at the door of the room, Jessie put her hands on her hips. "Well, I obviously can't talk to him! You're the man, James; you and Meowth would both do well with some man-talk."

"Man-talk?" he repeated, unsure if Jessie had an idea or not. She was persuasive, though. And with her short temper, who knew what might happen if she tried to talk to him. James looked down in thought. "Hm."

But when he looked up again, Jessie was gone. "Oh…fine."

As James looked at the handle of the door, he wondered to himself if this was what Jessie had been planning all along. For him to suggest talking, and in turn, be the one to _do _the talking as well. He couldn't put it past her. Hesitantly, the man took hold of the door handle. Even if she had planned it, it still didn't change the fact that Meowth was troubled. And a troubled Meowth needed teammate help! James took a breath…and opened the door.

---

The sound of the opening door shattered the thoughts like glass in the scratch cat's head. He jumped, giving a small yip before turning around to see the familiar face of his teammate peeking in the room. Meowth hadn't been expecting that so soon. Not yet, anyway. They usually went to sleep much later than this. Or…was it late already? The cat hadn't a clue. It'd only been a moment and he'd already been thinking too much again.

"Meowth?" James inquired after a short pause.

Meowth answered, "Yeah, what is it?"

After another brief pause, the human welcomed himself in the room, quietly shutting the door behind him as he entered. He wasn't going to bother asking if he could; Meowth could always say no if he asked. He didn't think the cat would say no. But just in case.

Meowth didn't say anything as James entered and sat down next to him. The two sat in silence for a moment or two, either looking away from each other, or out the window. James didn't know how to begin. _So Meowth, are you depressed about something? _It just wasn't a very good thing to ask. Most anyone would deny a question like that. He needed something better. But as he was pondering questions, Meowth decided to start the conversation instead.

"I ain't deaf, ya know."

James looked to him in surprise, blinking once. "…What?"

Sighing, the cat glanced over. "I ain't depressed, either."

It was then that James finally realized what Meowth meant in the beginning. The surprised look stayed, though, as neither him, nor Jessie had suspected the cat would be able to hear them. Had they really been that loud?

"Y-You heard us!?" he asked, a bit frantically.

Meowth looked up at him now. "Course I did. I'm a cat, I can hear tons a' stuff you humans can't even pick up on. Ya gotta go further away than that to get past these ears!"

Finally calming down, James almost felt stupid for that not crossing his mind beforehand. Of course cats had better hearing than humans. That was just common knowledge. But now with the depression theory out of the way, what did he have to ask Meowth about? He had to ask about something. There was obviously a problem, they just didn't know what.

James began, "Well…if you're not depressed, then what's wrong? There must be _something_."

There was another short pause between the two. Meowth looked away again, wishing he had something to tell. But he didn't even know what the problem was. At least…not the real problem. The cat gave a silent sigh, trying to get a few words together. They were worried about him. Really worried. He couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"James…the thing is…," he answered. "I don't even know. It's kinda hard to talk about it… I'm sorry I got you two worryin' about me, though."

How could you _not _know what was bothering you, James thought. It didn't make much sense to him. You couldn't be bothered by something you didn't know about. Meowth had to know, or at least have an idea.

"What do you mean you don't know?" the man asked.

Meowth looked away. "I mean I dunno why it's botherin' me."

"So you do know what it is, then?"

"…I guess."

Now they were getting somewhere. Maybe talking to Meowth hadn't been such a bad idea after all. James waited another moment before he spoke again. He could tell Meowth was getting anxious, and he didn't want to break down everything he'd started before he even knew what the problem was with the little cat.

James continued, "So what is it?"

Meowth hesitated a second with the answer. "…It's that twerp's Pikachu. It's not the same anymore…and I'm not either."

Of all answers, this was definitely the one James would never have thought of even if he'd been given a month to come up with everything that could be bothering Meowth. How could Pikachu be the cause of all this? What had it done? James was completely stumped.

"Pikachu…did what?" he began, looking as if he'd just spoken to a schizophrenic goblin. Suddenly, his expression switched to one of anger. "Did it hurt you, Meowth!? We'll blast that rat off so far into space if it—,"

"No!!!" the cat cut his teammate off, getting a bit more agitated now. "Pikachu didn't do nothin' to me! That's the problem! We ain't fightin' at all!"

James blinked. "Not fighting? Sure you are; whenever we try to catch it, it thunderbolts us all the way back to headquarters."

"I know!" Meowth replied. "But we used to hate each other, James. And now, well…we don't."

Pausing again, James continued, "Are you saying…you and Pikachu are friends now?"

Friends. It wasn't a word that the cat used lightly. After going through the life he had, he knew the different types of "friends" very well. There were the gangs, who stuck together, preferring not to know one another as friends, but allies. There were the ones who would be a friend as long as they got everything they needed; but as soon as the friendship lost its benefits, they were gone. Fair-weather friends was what most people he knew called them. There were the fremenies, who acted like friends, but wouldn't even spare a red cent to save you. And then there were real friends. So far, the only real friends he had were Jessie and James. Meowth didn't know what to call Pikachu.

"In a way, I guess," Meowth finally answered him. "It's different, though. It feels weird."

"Weird…in a bad way?" the listener asked.

Meowth shook his head, not to disagree, just to clear his mind a bit. "It ittin' bad or good, really."

And it wasn't. Meowth couldn't describe it. It was just a weird, yet slightly familiar feeling he got whenever he was around Pikachu. Sometimes when she was around, the feeling bothered him so much, all he could do was leave. And then after he left…he missed it.

Meowth continued quietly, "…It almost kinda makes me remember Meowsie."

"You mean the Meowth you fought that Persian to save?" James asked, running the name through his mind again.

The little cat nodded once; he didn't like thinking about Meowsie. Even after everything he'd done for her, she'd never cared about him. Never even appreciated him. He was pretty much over her now, though, so why had his thoughts been returning to her so much lately?

The purple-haired human didn't quite know what to think about this one. Pikachu was making him think about Meowsie. It was sure odd. Meowth had been in love with Meowsie. But Pikachu hadn't had anything to do with all that. That was back before any of them knew Pikachu; it was even back before Meowth had joined Team Rocket. Soon, though, everything started adding up.

A moment passed before Meowth spoke again, so very quietly and in a way James had never heard up until now. He understood it now.

"I'm scared, James," he answered. "…I'm real scared."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** First of all, I'd like to give a great big THANK YOU to all my readers, favers, subscribers, and reviewers! (: You guys made my day -- really, you did. You know who you are!  
And secondly, I'd like to thank the possible haters for not flaming. It's nice to see some decency here.

And well... now I've nothing else to say. Enjoy the chapter, and remember -- I see those hits!(;

* * *

James didn't know where to begin. The facts weren't all straight yet, but one thing was for certain: their Meowth had some very mixed feelings about the Pikachu they'd been after for as long as they'd known the name of Ash Ketchum. It was odd, yes. The oddest thing thinkable. Well…for James…and probably would be for Jessie too, once she found out. The man couldn't think of a reason why Meowth should feel anything but dislike for the electric rodent; Pikachu had never done anything but pester them, foil their plans, blast them off every chance it got. Not to mention that even if they weren't on separate teams, Pikachu was still a mouse and Meowth was still a cat. Cats didn't fall in love with mice. It just wasn't the way the world worked.

Obviously it could be nothing serious, James thought after a moment. It was ridiculous to think that Meowth could really have fallen for Pikachu. Meowth and Pikachu had never even gotten close enough to be friends, let alone more than that. The only explanation was a simple mistake; the cat was having some strange feelings, and interpreting them incorrectly. Stuff like that happened all the time…didn't it?

Breaking through James' thoughts, Meowth spoke. "So…what am I gonna do?"

At the words, James finally came back from his mental flight. He blinked, having to think a moment before the question completely processed.

"Do about what?" he asked.

Meowth's annoyed expression immediately reminded him.

"Oh! Yes!" the man paused with a nervous grin. "Well…you see, Meowth, I'm not sure I completely follow you. Are you sure this whole Pikachu thing isn't just…all in your head? Maybe you need a rest, or…"

Suddenly, the oh-so-familiar feeling of sharpened cat claws raked over his grinning face. James howled sharply, hands covering the marks a moment before he looked out angrily. He stopped shortly, however, as Meowth looked about five times more enraged.

"You think dis is come kinda joke?" the Pokemon hissed. "You think if I thought it was 'all in my head,' I'd be sittin' here pourin' my heart out to ya about it?"

After the words, Meowth turned around defensively, crossing his arms and obviously not wanting to hear another thing from the human's mouth. James was still a bit shocked from the outburst; if Meowth was taking it this seriously, maybe it really wasn't just a mistake. Averting his eyes, the man felt a sudden tinge of guilt. He should've known better than to jump to conclusions, especially since the whole situation was a first. Well…for him.

James spoke hesitantly, "Meowth…"

"Save your breath," the cat replied almost immediately. "I shoulda known you and Jessie wouldn't understand."

James bit down on his lower lip as he tried to conjure up something else to say; he'd pretty much blown it now, though. There was only one thing to do. Lowering his head, the human tried again.

"…I'm sorry, Meowth," he said quietly, and as honest as possible.

A moment passed before the cat responded.

"Yeah. I know."

* * *

It seemed like hours had passed between the time James had entered and exited the room Meowth was in. Jessie practically jumped to ask her partner all about the conversation they'd had. She wasn't at all ready for the answer she would receive, though; while James wasn't the best of words, Jessie's problem was pretty much anything that involved consideration.

"So what did he say!" the woman's eyes shone with curiosity. "Tell me, James!"

James averted his stare. "Ummm…well…you see, Jessie…"

And growling with impatience, Jessie rolled her eyes. "Oh, hurry up! Whatever it is, we can fix it!"

If only she knew. James gave a nervous grin at the words, praying the woman could take the news he was about to tell her. He was clinging to the hope that maybe, being a female and all, she would show some sympathy to Meowth's situation. She'd been in love before; in fact, James could recall more than one time she'd seemed infatuated with someone. Of course…she'd never fallen for one of _them. _Still, what else was there to hope for? It was his only chance.

The man took a breath to ready himself. "Jessie… Meowth is…well…"

"Yes, he's what?" she edged the words on, still as impatient as before.

"…He's…kind of…," James brought his hand to the back of his neck. "…got feelings for…someone."

Arms crossed, Jessie raised an eyebrow. "James, you're blushing, is it you?"

He froze before an annoyed response. "NO! It's not me, it's…"

"Then who is it!" the woman shrieked, teeth bared as she grabbed his arm.

James shut his eyes tight. "It's the twerp's Pikachu!"

A few seconds of silence followed James' answer. He hesitantly opened his eyes, only to see his female partner looking quite surprised. She blinked once, still holding onto his arm. And barely another second later, the woman burst into howling, tear-touched laughter. James could only drop his head helplessly.

"Oh James!" the girl now had her hand on his shoulder as she tried to calm herself. "That was a great one! Now really…who is it?"

Lifting his head ever so slightly, the other Rocket member spoke, "I wasn't kidding, actually…"

Jessie suddenly burst into another fit of laughter, but slowly stopped as she realized what she'd just heard. Straightening herself, she cleared her throat and looked to the man again.

"Excuse me, I think I heard that wrong. Did you really just say you weren't kidding?"

Hesitantly, James nodded once. But just after the nod, Jessie once again began her laughing fit. This time, it was all too much for him; James stared at her before he finally yelled out in frustration.

"STOP IT!"

The woman froze immediately. A few seconds passed before James continued, frantic and sick and tired of not being taken seriously.

"I'm not joking and Meowth is listening to every bit of laughter you're coughing up! I told him we'd be there to help him, and all you can do is make it worse! At least have a little respect, even if you _do _find it hilarious to no ends!"

That time, Jessie stayed quiet. She was quite a bit surprised, partly from James' outburst, and also partly from the fact that she was finally taking the new information seriously. It was truly difficult to believe. How could Meowth's problem be Pikachu? Looking away in thought, the red-haired woman almost looked as though she were contemplating a riddle…a very challenging one.

She spoke, "But…James, he couldn't possibly love Pikachu, that's insane. Are you sure he wasn't talking about a different Pikachu?"

"You guys make it sound so romantic. Can we use a different terminology?"

The two humans turned to see Meowth sitting on the table behind them, looking a little ambivalent from the words he'd been overhearing. One brow slightly raised, he didn't seem too impressed; and almost as if it wasn't a surprise to see him there, Jessie and James exchanged glances, then continued the conversation, simply adding him in.

"What do you mean?" Jessie asked.

Meowth continued, looking away, "I dunno… It just feels weird hearin' ya say it like that."

She crossed her arms. "Don't you mean, makes you feel bashful enough to look away from everyone you talk to because you're worried you might be blushing?"

The words almost stung the cat. He kept his gaze downward, wishing it was that simple and hating the fact that he'd have to say something about it to make them understand. It wasn't their fault, though, he knew that. Meowth barely even had time to blush over Pikachu, especially when he knew it was completely pointless to hope in his feelings anyway.

"More like makes me feel stupid 'cuz I know that Pikachu could have any Pokemon she wanted," he sighed before going on. "And let's face it, I'm just not in her league."

Jessie and James both looked stumped at the reply they'd gotten this time. Was it normal for their Meowth to behave this way? They'd seen him in love before (kind of), but he was never this negative about it.

"What are you going on about?" Jessie finally spoke up. "You don't know that, Meowth."

Meowth looked up at her in slight confusion of his own. "Course I do, Jessie. Pikachu's not on our side. I'm outta this league about ten times more than I was with Meowsie's league. She was just rich."

"And Pikachu's not. So why should she care about your class?" the woman argued back, getting a little frustrated now. James nodded, backing her up.

"It's not that I'm talkin' about!" the cat replied.

Scoffing, Jessie continued, "What else _is_ there to talk about? It doesn't matter if Pikachu's on a different side, she could still like you."

The Pokemon stayed quiet after the remark. He didn't really agree, but there was no sense arguing with Jessie – she always won, even if she didn't. Still, he hadn't a clue why she kept insisting her side on something like this. There was no way Pikachu would ever fall for someone who worked against Ash. Pikachu and Ash were closer than Pikachu had ever been with any other Pokemon; Meowth probably couldn't change that even if he wasn't a member of the infamous Team Rocket.

Finally, James spoke, "So do you love her or not?"

At the question, Meowth looked up with a slightly confused expression. Did they still have to ask something like that?

"You better decide," Jessie continued after her partner. "I don't plan on wasting my time trying to prove you wrong if you're not serious about this."

Meowth's expression became even more confused.

He hesitated, "…Are you sayin' you're gonna help me?"

The woman couldn't help a small smile at the question. She shrugged, crossing her arms before she replied.

"I don't really have a choice. Family first and all."

At the response, Meowth was silent. He wanted to speak, but wasn't able to. Of all things regarding the current issue, he'd never even expected his teammates to be fine with it, let alone attempt to help. It was almost too much.

And for the first time in a while…he smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: So glad everyone still thinks I'm doing a good job!(: Thank you all for the reviews, favs, subs, etc!  
This chapter is actually a little longer than the previous two. My little brother liked it, so I hope everyone else does, lol.((:

Feedback is appreciated, flames are ignored.  
Enjoy chapter 3!

* * *

"Sir. You called for me?"

The man stood in front of the chair that was turned away from him, posture straight like a soldier and eyes unblinking. Just his appearance alone showed off traits of obedience, solemnity, and ambivalence. He was the perfect one for the job, professional enough to stick to only the task at hand, yet merciless enough to have no trouble with cruelty. At his side stood a Jolteon, spiky coat shining with health and glowing with strength. It was obvious the two were a perfect team, difficult to beat and even more difficult to challenge.

From the chair, the other took a pause. "Yes. I assume you remember what we talked about."

"I do." The Jolteon's trainer nodded slightly, despite the fact that he wasn't being looked at.

They'd spoken about the new operation just a week ago, and he'd been waiting to be called for it. It was a good plan to say the least, and after all the wasted time from before, a change was definitely in need.

"Good," the one from the chair began. "I wouldn't want to explain myself again. Now, go; just as we planned."

Bowing his head in respect, the man left to do as he was told. On his way out, the smallest of smiles appeared on his slightly hidden face; failure was not an option.

* * *

It was dark on the strange cave-like trail and Pikachu had no idea why she was even there in the first place. The only thing she knew was what her nose could tell her, and the trail held a very familiar – and very wonderful – scent. Inhaling the air, she could almost taste the wonderful smell. She knew it, yet she couldn't remember exactly what it was. It was strange. But the scent was so alluring, the mouse could do absolutely nothing but follow it.

As she walked on through the cave, a quiet dripping sound caught her attention. She turned around to where she'd heard the sound, but nothing was there. Suddenly, another drip came, but rather than hearing it, Pikachu felt it on the top of her head. Was it rain? No…the cave wasn't wet at all. It was rather dry, actually. And just as she was about to attempt to find out what the strange fluid was, another one dripped down right on the tip of her little black nose.

With the drip, the familiar scent was almost flooding her entire olfactory system, and almost as an instinct, the Pokemon licked the drip right off her nose. Instantly, she knew exactly what the fluid was; and she quickly began searching the cave for more. Few things could keep the rodent away from the food she loved like no other – ketchup.

Pikachu continued to search the ground for more ketchup, following her nose further and further down into the cavern. After searching for a while, she came across a dripping trail of the stuff, and it was almost too wonderful to bear. The mouse followed the trail, practically running now that she'd found something to go by, and the further she went, the more dominant the scent became. There must be some kind of secret stash, she thought to herself as she ran on, hoping Ash wouldn't mind the little detour she was taking. It was for ketchup! He was sure to understand.

After a while of running, Pikachu was slowly but steadily becoming more tired. She was beginning to think she'd never find the stash of ketchup, but finally, there was a small light at the end of the cave (or at least what she thought was the end of the cave). Slowing down to a walk, Pikachu approached the opening and went through, and only a few feet away was a massive vault; and based on the smell, it was filled with none other than the ketchup she'd been searching for.

The mouse's eyes shone brightly at the sight. It was one of the loveliest things she'd ever seen. So lovely that she hadn't even noticed the fact that the vault was being guarded by someone else she knew quite well. But as she came nearer, Pikachu could perfectly see the Pokemon standing in front of the beloved ketchup. Meowth.

"Meowth?" Pikachu inquired as she stopped a few feet away from him. Her head tilted slightly, she wondered why he was even there to begin with.

The cat turned around to face her with a surprised expression, but soon looked a bit confused to see her; he almost looked as if he'd never even seen her before now.

"Heya, mousey," he began. "…Who brought you here?"

Same voice, same stance. It was definitely him. Pikachu paused before going on.

"I just…followed my nose. Are you here to get some, too?"

Giving a short laugh, Meowth shook his head. "No way! I'm in charge a' dis place. And technically, Pikachus shouldn't be in here. You got a trainer or somethin'?"

Pikachu gave a confused look at the question. Of course she did. Did he really not know who she was? Pausing again, she didn't quite know how to answer.

"Uh…yeah," she spoke. "Don't you remember Ash?"

It was again Meowth's turn to look confused.

"Ash? Look, kid, I dunno any Pikachus. Or Ashes for that matter. I'm just here to do my job and guard dis here ketchup. So if ya got a trainer, you should probably get back to 'im; I'm sure he'd be worried about a cute little thing like you."

And with that, Meowth turned back around to the vault, pulling out a cloth as he began to polish it. Pikachu had almost forgotten about the ketchup by now. How could Meowth not remember her? They'd known each other for years now! It was insane. And she wasn't about to take it. Hesitating, Pikachu once again got the cat's attention.

She spoke, "…Are you sure you don't remember me, Meowth? You and Jessie and James are always chasing after me…in your hot air balloon…and, well…you know."

Meowth sighed and again turned to face her. "I'm sorry, but I really don't know what you're talkin' about, kid. I think you might be confused; you should probably go on back home now."

"But…"

"Pikachu!"

Meowth and Pikachu both instantly turned to the entrance of the vault's place in the cave to see Ash standing there. Arms crossed, he looked as if he'd been waiting for some time. And taking a pause, he spoke again.

"Pikachu, what are you doing all the way down here? We gotta get going! Hurry up!"

How had Ash found his way here, Pikachu wondered. Her ear tweaked slightly as she turned back to Meowth, who was already polishing the vault again. She was still completely stumped that Meowth didn't remember her, and now he wasn't even responding to Ash being there. What was wrong with him? After a second, Ash called out again.

"Pikachu! C'mon!"

The call made her turn to look at her trainer again. She wanted to go to him, but at the same time, the fact that Meowth didn't remember her was driving her insane. Pikachu didn't know what to do… She looked to the cat again, still trying to decide.

Ash called, "Pikachu!"

"Pikachu!"

"Pikachu!"

"Pikachu, get up!"

Pikachu slowly opened her eyes to see Ash hovering over her, a very worried expression coating his tanned face. He gave a sigh of relief once she'd woken up, and finally his expression changed to a smile before he spoke.

"Pikachu! I've been trying to wake you up for fifteen minutes!"

A second or two passed before Pikachu fully awakened and got up, looking around frantically. No Meowth. No cave. No ketchup. A dream. Ears lowering with relief and surprise, she plopped back down on the futon again. That was definitely one of the weirdest things her mind had ever conjured up.

Ash spoke again, "Wah? Pikachu, are you alright?"

"Ash, I'm sure Pikachu's fine," Tracey's voice came into the conversation. "You probably just woke it up in the middle of REM or something. Give it a minute to wake up. And it's been two minutes, not fifteen."

Reluctantly, Ash took Tracey's advice and left Pikachu's side. It took another minute or two before the mouse Pokemon also got up and left the tent they'd slept in overnight. Once the three humans and their Pokemon were all ready to begin the next day's journey, Pikachu pushed the strange dream aside and made a mental note to never eat ketchup before bed again. Though it was a little more difficult to push Meowth's part in the dream away; the cat had been on her mind a good deal lately, given the slight change in their relationship. Perhaps that was why she'd dreamt of him.

The three trainers and their Pokemon had finally arrived back in the Kanto region the day before, and were relieved to have no more destinations other than Pallet Town. They still had a long ways to go before they'd reach the town, but Ash and Misty knew the region well and weren't worried at all about the journey.

"So…when are we gonna get something to eat?" Ash asked only a few minutes after they'd left the campsite.

Misty replied, "We're not even in a town yet; we'll get something when we get somewhere. Hopefully something good."

"I don't care if it's good or not, as long as it's edible."

The next words brought an odd smile to Tracey's face. "You really that hungry, Ash?"

"Of course he is," Misty answered. "I can barely remember the times when he isn't."

Ash was tempted to argue back, but decided against it since his red-headed comrade did have a point; his stomach did demand food a bit more often than everyone else's. Nevertheless, he couldn't understand why the two of them weren't hungry. Or maybe they were and just not bringing it up.

After a few moments of silence, Misty spoke up again.

"I wonder how my sisters have been," she said. "It'll be nice to see them all."

"You're coming back to Pallet with us, right?" Tracey asked.

The girl nodded. "Of course I am. But we're stopping through Cerulean, so I might as well visit."

"Hey! Pikachu!"

The conversation came to an abrupt end as Pikachu suddenly leapt from Ash's shoulder and ran into the nearby vegetation. Ash hesitated before following her to the edge of the bushes and trying to find out why she'd run off. Tracey and Misty did the same, also following the mouse down the trail they were on.

"Ash, what happened?" Misty asked as they ran on.

"I dunno, Pikachu just ran off!" Ash answered.

The trainers continued the chase until they caught sight of Pikachu up ahead. They slowed their pace once they realized she was no longer in motion, and soon came to a stop a few feet away. To all of their surprise, Pikachu was now standing in front of a Jolteon, both Pokemon in battle stance and growling quietly at one another. By the look of the Jolteon, it was obviously a trained Pokemon. Soft sparks emitted from both electric types as they growled, a sign that both were ready to battle if need be.

"What are they so riled up about?" Ash spoke, partially aloud and partially to himself.

Tracey looked over the two Pokemon confusedly, wishing he knew the answer to Ash's question. It wasn't like Pikachu to be aggressive towards others.

He finally replied, "Pikachu must've sensed the Jolteon's electricity. But I dunno why they're acting like this."

"Maybe there's another trainer around," suggested Misty.

Suddenly, the Jolteon stopped growling and jumped away, almost in response to the other humans having come around. Pikachu blinked in surprise at the action and didn't even have time to respond before a small explosion sounded, followed by a huge cloud of purple smoke.

"Pik-a!" the electric mouse bounded back in Ash's direction, trying to avoid the stuff.

It was no use to try and evade it, however, as the cloud had already surrounded them; coughing from the irritation and eyes shut tight, the trainers and Pokemon braced themselves to let the smoke pass. No one had time to ask where the smoke had come from, because just as it came, a not-so-familiar voice came with it, along with some very familiar words.

"Prepare for trouble!"

Ash's eyes opened immediately, despite the smoke. "Is that…"

"…It can't be!" Misty answered, both of them knowing the voice couldn't possibly belong to the two who usually attacked with said motto.

All confusion was answered as the smoke finally cleared. Standing in front of the trio of trainers wasn't the Team Rocket members they were familiar with, but a much more dangerous-looking member of the infamous group. Dressed in black, the man stood beside the very same Jolteon they'd met only a moment ago. Ash, Misty, and Tracey all stared at the man, eyes wide.

Finally, he spoke again. "Just kidding."

At the random joke, the three trainers nearly fell to the ground. The Rocket grunt, however, did not look amused. It almost looked as though he hadn't made a joke at all; his Jolteon looked just as serious as he did. Gaining composure back, Ash took a step forward, ready to start something as always.

"Hey, what's with all the smoke?" he asked, a little annoyed. "And tell your Jolteon to leave my Pikachu alone!"

The man looked down to his Pokemon at the words, and brought his gaze back up to meet Ash's again. Ever so slightly, a smile came to his face.

He said, "Relax, Ketchum. My Jolteon was only making sure I'd found you, just as I asked her to. She has no desire to start anything with your little rat."

Ash tensed at the terminology the grunt had used. "Rat!"

"Cool it, Ash!" Tracey butted in, trying to prevent Ash's attitude from getting them into any real trouble. "I don't think he's looking for a fight."

Despite Tracey's words only being a guess, they were right on the spot. The Jolteon and her trainer weren't looking for a fight at all; they were looking to deliver a message from the man who'd sent them on the wild goose chase to begin with. Giovanni.

The grunt continued, speaking to Ash. "You'd do well to listen to your friends. I'm here to give you an important message from the boss."

All three trainers' eyes widened at the surprising news. A moment passed before Ash responded, slightly confused and anxious to know what the message was and why it was directed at him.

"A…message?" he asked.

Without another word, the Rocket member handed him a small, black recording device. He waited for Ash to look over the gadget and meet his eyes again before he gave a nod and then looked down to his Jolteon, nodding once to her as well. A second later, another explosion just like the first one sounded, and the area was once again surrounded in a cloud of purple smoke.

"HEY!" Ash yelled, shielding his face.

The other trainers did the same, but they once again had no other choice but to stay put and wait for the smoke to clear. Luckily, it wasn't toxic; just irritating.

Through coughs as she shielded Togepi, Misty spoke. "Isn't one smoke bomb enough?"

"Not for him, I guess," Tracey answered in a muffled voice.

After the smoke had cleared again, the grunt and his Jolteon were nowhere in sight. Pikachu was curled up on the ground next to them, eyes closed and trying to shield herself; Ash smiled, kneeling down to scoop her up. He then brought his attention back to the strange new device. Misty and Tracey came closer to also get a good look at it.

"Well that was weird," Ash said after a pause. "I wonder how ya work this thing."

At the words, Pikachu blinked, hesitantly reaching a paw over to give the button on top a tap. Ash tried to stop her from pressing it in fear that the button was the wrong one, but the tap was too quick to stop, and only a second later all was forgotten a familiar voice sounded from the machine.

"Greetings, Ash Ketchum, self-proclaimed Pokemon master," the voice began. "If you're listening to this now, you should already know who this is speaking to you. Of course I have my doubts that you _do. _If I'm right about that, then I suppose I'll need to include an introduction; my name is Giovanni, and I am otherwise known as the boss. I've sent this message to inform you of the Pidgeot you released some time ago."

The last few words provoked a quiet gasp from Ash. Eyes wide, he tensed, tightening his grip on the recording device. He almost spoke, but opted against it, as the message from Giovanni wasn't quite finished. But what did he know about Pidgeot? And better yet, _how_ did he know?

The message continued, "Don't worry about it; I haven't done anything to it…yet. Nevertheless, if you want your Pidgeot safely returned to you, you'll cooperate with me. I want you at my new hideout in one week for a Pokemon battle. If you defeat me, you get your Pidgeot back. If you lose, or arrive any later than a week…it's mine. So I suggest you hurry. Have a good day, Ash Ketchum."

As the message ended, Ash could feel himself shaking, though he couldn't tell if the shaking was from the anger, the sadness, or the fear he was now feeling. He almost felt like he could cry, but the rage inside him was preventing it. The boss of Team Rocket had his Pidgeot.

Misty looked nearly as worried as he did, as she too knew the Pidgeot well. All the battles Ash had fought with it, and the Viridian Forest where he'd captured it, all still back when Pidgeot was a Pidgeotto. And then just before they'd left for the Islands, Ash had released it. Now Misty and Ash both wished he'd never let it go in the first place.

Ears lowered, Pikachu also looked as though she would cry soon if something else didn't come up.

Finally, Tracey broke the silence. "Well, we better hurry, guys. We need to find that hideout."

Misty, Ash, and Pikachu looked his way. Ash nodded, trying to seem more optimistic than he was feeling.

"I can't believe Team Rocket got Pidgeot…," he said, fists clenched. "How did they even know!"

"I dunno, but let's save the questions for later, Ash. We're gonna have to pick up our speed if we wanna save it."

Misty spoke, "Wait, but…we don't even know where the hideout is!"

Misty was right, they all knew. There was no way of getting there without knowing where to go. There was another moment of silence between the trainers before Ash replied, not wanting to wait around anymore.

"Well then we gotta find that guy who gave us the message!" he said.

The two others nodded in agreement, but all three were still left wondering how they were going to find the grunt now. He couldn't have gotten too far, though, and the safety of Pidgeot depended on it. Suddenly, Ash took off running in the direction Pikachu had been running when she'd chased the Jolteon; maybe they'd gone that way.

"Ash! Wait up!" Misty called after him before she and Tracey also took off in the same direction.

"I can't wait!" he replied as he ran, not slowing his pace for either of them.

Pidgeot was in Team Rocket's possession now. And not just with the two goons they knew could do no harm. Every wasted moment was another moment that might prevent him from ever seeing it again. He couldn't wait.


End file.
